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Vol 06 Chapter 194: International Diplomacy II

I received a love letter…

This marks the sixth time in my life that I’ve received a love letter.

The first time was when I was five years old, from a girl of the orphanage. The second and third times were when I was in second grade, from two different girls. The fourth time was in fifth grade. It came with some Valentine’s Day chocolate, along with a fingernail. The fifth time was in my second year of middle school, I found a note in my shoe locker that said ‘I love you love you love you’ (and so on). I promptly closed it without reading further.

And now, the sixth time. This time, it’s from Xerxes, the Emperor of the Persis Empire, King of Kings.

I sent an envoy a few months ago. Presumably, my letter reached Emperor Xerxes about a month ago.

Indeed, from the Adernian Peninsula to the Kirisian Peninsula, it’s a quick journey by ship. But considering the other party is the emperor of a major power, I expected it might take a year for a reply to come…

But it came. And the letter said that I have to go in person.

「What should I do…」

「E-even if you ask me… I think you have no choice but to go, right?」

Raymond averted his eyes.

「But why would he want to meet the king of a small, rural country like this? It’s strange.」

Rosais is a powerful country… compared to the other countries of the Adernian Peninsula.

In a fishbowl, a goldfish might seem large, but compared to a whale swimming in the ocean… it’s insulting to even make the comparison.

What is Emperor Xerxes thinking?

「Perhaps it’s related to Pofenia.」

「Pofenia?」

Hearing Ainz’s guess, I asked him to elaborate. Ainz nodded deeply.

「Persis is a superpower. However, because of that, they struggle to maintain their long borders. I don’t know the details, but… I’ve heard they’ve even built a fortress called the Great Wall on the frontier, which takes more than three days to walk from one end to the other. No matter how powerful Persis is, it’s impossible to maintain an army of over a million soldiers at all times… So, Emperor Xerxes appoints kings from neighboring tribes and has them attack other neighboring tribes to weaken potential threats.」

In other words, he wants to use me to weaken Pofenia by pitting us against each other. Considering that, our victory in the war against Pofenia before sending the envoy might have had a significant impact.

I thought small skirmishes on the frontier wouldn’t interest a major power like Persis… but apparently, they were watching.

No, perhaps Persis remains a global empire precisely because they constantly gather information from around the world.

If that’s the case, then I’m completely lacking. Come to think of it, I know almost nothing about the internal affairs or enemies of the Rozel Kingdom.

I need to investigate… But there aren’t enough magicians.

I’ve been king for less than ten years. I’ve been desperately trying to increase the number of magicians, but the results haven’t borne fruit yet.

Well, it’s a massive project that takes ten, twenty, thirty years to cultivate talent, so it can’t be helped.

「Well, since they invited you, why not give it a try?」

「I’d love to go, but I don’t have the time…」

There are mountains of things I need to do. It’s not feasible for me, the king, to be absent.

Originally, Raymond was supposed to go…

「Surely Emperor Xerxes doesn’t expect you to come every year. He probably just wants to meet you in person once.」

「So, he wants to judge if I’m worth forming an alliance with by seeing me in person?」

Emperor Xerxes is quite proactive… or rather, he doesn’t move himself but likes to verify things personally. He’s probably the type who dislikes having things out of his sight.

If that’s the case, ruling the vast territory of Persis must be quite stressful for him…

「For now, I’ll send a reply saying that I’ll definitely meet him once domestic governance has settled down.」

The letter mentioned a year later… But that means anytime after a year, right?

He’ll forgive me if it ends up being two or three years later, right?

…I’ll do my best to settle everything within a year.

◇

It’s July… In a month, it will be exactly three years since we formed the anti-Gallia alliance.

A lot has happened since then.

Now… the renewal period for the anti-Gallia alliance was three years after it was formed. In other words, if we do not reach an agreement in next month’s meeting, the anti-Gallia alliance will dissolve.

This is a bit… no, a very serious problem.

Until now, our country has been doing as it pleases. We’ve conquered quite a few countries.

As a result, our country is being highly watched. Moreover, the Rozel Kingdom’s strongest general, Kuryuu, has been demoted, and the strongest magician, Merlin, is exiled… or rather, traveling abroad. The threat of the Rozel Kingdom has significantly diminished.

Can we really renew the anti-Gallia alliance…

I want the Rozel Kingdom to remain the villain. The reason other countries turn a blind eye to our military actions is because, while they view our military power as a threat, they also rely on it.

Therefore, it would be troublesome if Rozel were to weaken, become timid, or suddenly turn into a kind country to its neighbors. The Rozel Kingdom must continue to be a reliable enemy.

「King Gilbed and I have a secret agreement, so he should support the anti-Gallia alliance. King Domorgal should agree too. King Domorgal’s Country is the one that suffered the most at the hands of the Rozel Kingdom. So, the problem is King Faldam…」

As long as Gilbed, Rosais, and Domorgal are committed to maintaining the alliance, Faldam won’t be able to propose dissolving it.

I predict that the alliance can be maintained. As long as King Gilbed and King Domorgal don’t change their minds.

◇

August… At a certain place near the border of the Rozel Kingdom, a meeting of four kings was held. The agenda was the renewal of the anti-Gallia alliance.

「I believe we should renew the anti-Gallia alliance.」

King Domorgal’s (we are friends so maybe I should call him King Carlo) King Carlo’s proposal was just what I wanted.

Frankly, it’s difficult for our country, which has benefited the most from the anti-Gallia alliance, to propose its renewal. On the other hand, it’s very natural for King Domorgal’s country, which would be the most uneasy if the alliance isn’t renewed, to bring it up.

「Yes, well… despite everything, it’s a fact that this alliance has maintained peace. Isn’t that right, King Rosais?」

「Haha… yes, that’s true…」

I responded with a wry smile to King Gilbed’s sarcastic question.

This is uncomfortable…

「What do you think, King Faldam?」

「Haha… I wouldn’t dare to leave the alliance when the three other countries want to keep it… Isn’t that right, King Almus?」

King Faldam laughed merrily.

「I’ve heard that the fruits from the south are delicious. I’d love to have a taste.」

「Indeed, the figs from Pofenia are quite delicious. However, it’s concerning to have such a powerful country nearby, so close that the figs don’t even spoil during transport.」

For now, I’ll feign ignorance.

As I smiled politely without rising to the provocation, King Faldam suddenly stood up.

「Adernians must unite!! Isn’t that right, King Almus?」

「Uh, yes… After all, we’re sandwiched between major powers to the north and south… Instead of fighting among ourselves like in the past, we must unite to face external enemies…」

「Exactly!!」

King Faldam shouted loudly. The three of us, including myself, looked at King Faldam in confusion.

What’s he talking about?

「Adernians must unite. King Almus’s disciplining of King Zoldias’ Country is because Zoldias attacked King Evile’s country, right? The attacks on Zoldias’ allies are also for the unity of Adernians. And the support and cooperation from King Gilbed’s Country is also for the unity of Adernians, for peaceful coexistence, and for our independence, correct?」

A cold sweat ran down my back.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Nonetheless, I maintained my smile.

「King Faldam, what has brought this on suddenly?」

「Haha, I was just confirming an obvious fact. Gentlemen, Adernians must unite. We all agree on that, don’t we?」

King Faldam looked around at the three of us.

I nodded without hesitation, King Gilbed frowned but nodded, and King Domorgal nodded with a puzzled expression.

Seeing this, King Faldam nodded in satisfaction.

「Yes, that’s right… But aren’t we forgetting something important?」

「…Something important?」

「Exactly!! The northern Adernian Peninsula… that is, the Adernians under the control of the Rozel Kingdom!! How can we speak of Adernian unity or the anti-Gallia alliance without rescuing them?」

The reason the anti-Gallia alliance is not called anti-Rozel alliance is because there are many Adernians within the Rozel Kingdom. In the Rozel Kingdom, Adernians are exploited as tenant farmers under the lands owned by the Gallians.

Many of the slaves being exported outside the Adernian Peninsula are also from the Rozel Kingdom… essentially being used to pay off debts or taxes.

The anti-Gallia alliance includes the ultimate intention of rescuing such Adernians.

However… that’s just a pretext. In reality, each country is primarily concerned with its own defense.

「After three years of truce, there hasn’t been a single skirmish between the four countries. Our national strength has recovered. And the battle three years ago proved that we Adernians can defeat the Gallians!! Now is the time for a counterattack!! Let’s invade the northern Adernian Peninsula and reclaim our territories. Let us begin the Adernian Liberation War!!」

King Faldam shouted. King Gilbed applauded.

「That’s right!! Let’s rescue the Adernians from those long-haired barbarians!!」

King Domorgal also nodded vigorously.

「We can’t just sit back and do nothing. I agree.」

The three kings turned their gaze towards me.

「Of course, King Almus, you agree as well, don’t you?」

「Of course. As expected of King Faldam. Brilliant. Let’s fight together for the Adernians!!」

Damn it… King Faldam, you bastard…

Proposing such unnecessary things…

Fine, I’ll acknowledge it. This time, it’s my defeat.